Hello, this is Ric, come in.
Just kidding. This is a video and I can't hear you.
Ha, ha.
But this video is on the communicators of Starfleet
following in the same vein as the other
technological breakdown videos I've done recently.
So I don't think that I'll need to
iterate on similar contemporary devices.
So, I'll just "phone" that section in and, instead,
"pick up" right with the first Starfleet issued communicators.
The need for ship to ground communication is obvious
and ever since the earliest spacefaring vessels
two-way communication has been necessary.
With the advent of warp drive, however,
a whole new realm of physics opened up around the study and
utilization of subspace which needs its whole separate video.
Suffice to say, this allowed for the faster-than-light communication
required in establishing real-time, two-way communication between
vessels light-years apart. This technology was also
applied to Starfleet's communicators.
The first we've seen is in the 2150s and were rather small flip-open devices.
The aerial, or transmitter, was fitted in the raised lid of the device
and overall it was a rather small, palm-sized gadget.
It was silver and black featuring a screen that's
displayed relevant signal information.
The real-life reason for their compact size
when it compared to later versions
was to make him seem more futuristic than mobile phones
which had caught up since the 1960s.
But for a lore reason?
Well, there isn't one. Suffice to say,
communicators of this era worked in tandem with
a ship or shuttles own communications to extend their range.
By the 2230s, there was another iteration of the Starfleet communicator
that was much bulkier than the version from eighty years earlier.
I'm going to suggest that this is because there was a lot
newer and more technology packed into the device.
Maybe even the addition of the Universal Translator.
This would line up with the latter version that
decreased in size as seen with the 2250's model,
which was still rather bulky.
But by the middle of the decade, the communicator had
shrunk in size again, but contained a simple universal translator.
The device, at this time, featured two screens:
the subspace frequency display and a text display.
There are also reports of a variation of the communicator secreted in the Starfleet badge.
But such a device did not enter standard use for another hundred or so years.
Perhaps, there existed some short-range emergency prototype.
The communicator of 2260s was relatively unchanged from its earlier iterations
The antenna was the golden grill that folded down, as with
other models, doubling as a protective cover for the controls.
Its design matched the emerging Starfleet styles of
black, silver and gold for their gadgets.
On the front of the device, a small monitor portrayed
the wavelength and operating frequency
while a simple display of lights indicated its status.
Its only controls were to switch to communication bands
between inter-communicator frequencies or ground-to-ship.
It could also be used to tune into other machines
that had similar communication functions
as well as a wide range of non-Starfleet devices.
This device was rather robust, too, and one was issued
to every "Away team" member and, generally,
every member of a ship's crew during heightened alerts.
The communicator doubled as a way for a ship to track its crew
as opposed to using the more difficult to discern life signs
or even visual scanning. This enabled near-instantaneous
transporter locks to beam the individual
back to the pad or perform a site-to-site.
This era of communicator, however, was susceptible
to dangerously low temperatures.
By the early 2270s, as Starfleet had continued
to fashion more ergonomic designs with the miniaturization
of the communications technology. Some variations that were tried out
included a wrist mounted variant harkening back to
ye oldie smartwatches. This variation did not last long, however,
and by 2285 there were several more designs
as similar to the older models of flip-up communicator.
Interestingly enough, one of these was much larger than the other.
And, I would wonder if this was including some technological prototypes.
Eventually, the device was adapted from being a separate object,
which was easier to lose, into the combadge,
which was always worn and more inconspicuous.
This saw the integration of all the technology of a communicator
and more into something no bigger than the Starfleet insignia.
From this point on, the designs only really changed to reflects the different eras
of Starfleet's combadge emblem throughout the 2360s and onwards.
The workings were encased in a duranium Starfleet Delta coated with
worthless gold and silver.
But, it looks nice and shiny. The power cell of our communicator
was a serium krellide battery as found in tricorders.
If left in continuous operation,
the battery would deplete over two weeks.
But, this rarely happened, as communicators were
often in a standby mode until activated.
If the flip style communicators of early Starfleet were
simple to use, this was child's play.
To activate the device, you simply had to tap the badge
triggering its sensors and flipping it into "active mode"
it would then listen for the identification of the user and the desired recipient
whether that be to another away team member,
an intership communication, or even a ground to orbit one.
The small computer in the combadge would then
decipher the user's request, switch to the appropriate subspace band,
and ping its target badge to establish two-way communication.
This process was very fast, although several seconds delay
was common as the little transceiver assembly
and encryption circuitry did its job in establishing a link.
As what how it picks up and plays voices?
Well, nothing overly fancy here. It's just a tiny microphone speaker,
although obviously "Trek" levels of advanced.
Unlike the early communicators, however, this device that featured
much more automation based on its voice recognition.
The combadge, for all intents and purposes,
was also a functional universal translator.
When being used in this commodity, it translated all received audio
into a tongue the wearer could understand
and vice versa for anyone the user was talking to.
This function was only possible, however, within the range
of a ship's main computer
or if the language had been downloaded into the device.
The S.T.A. produced a rather weak field and could only
transmit around 500 kilometers from badge to badge.
However, within range of a starship, the vessels own systems
operated in tandem with the combadge extending the range
to 6000 kilometers. A standard Starfleet orbital path was
generally around 40,000 kilometers above the surface.
Civilian iterations of the device also exist with the technology being
so useful and common throughout the Federation.
Other powers also utilized a combat design and I like to think
that Starfleet was a bit of a trendsetter in that regard. But, who knows?
So, that is a brief history of the communicator
from its original iterations
to the points where it quadrupled in size, for some reason.
Then gradually scaled all the way back down again
before becoming a tiny badge.
When compared to mobile phones,
it's obvious that the communicator was superior
for its FTL capabilities and extended range.
What, hang on. What's the average range of a mobile?
Fifty-five miles or so before reaching a tower.
Okay, good. "Star Trek" doesn't have to move its goal posts, yet.
But with our connected world growing everyday
in speeds and range, it's only a matter of time.
Thanks for watching this lore video and I'll see you next time.
Ric out.